Depression in pigs?

Lunapxggies

Lunapxggies

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello, yesterday evening one of my pigs unfortunately passed away due to a URI…she only had one cage mate due to her fighting with my other pigs. That cagemate (peanut) now seems so agitated and terrified at the same time as I tired to introduce her ti the rest of my pigs. I have them separate now, but I put her with my other very anxious piggie and it seems to be a good match. Since the rest of the pigs seem to fight with the anxious piggie anyways. I am just worried because Peanut seems to be staying in one corner and not really doing anything but shaking and hiding away. It has me very worrried she’s sick. Is this normal after a cagemate passing away? *i attached a photo of peanut and the pig i partnered with her anathema cuddling together worried if thisis cuddling or if peanut is just too scared to move*
 

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Oh I'm so sorry to hear your piggie passed away. I do know that piggies experience grief just like us humans so the reason why Peanut may be withdrawn and hiding away could be due to the fact she is grieving and is a little uncertain to why her friend is no longer there with her.

In my opinion, putting her together with another one of your piggies is the best thing you could have done and maybe putting her with the piggie who has a similar temperament/personality is the best option, it's certainly what I would do. It could be that she is a little scared as in reality, she has a completely new roomie! Just think how we feel around strangers, uncomfortable at first but then we get to know them and become more settled.

I really would just give her/both of them time to get comfortable with eachother and keep an eye on them. Can I ask if they are both still eating and drinking ok?
 
Popcorns & Wheeks said:
Oh I'm so sorry to hear your piggie passed away. I do know that piggies experience grief just like us humans so the reason why Peanut may be withdrawn and hiding away could be due to the fact she is grieving and is a little uncertain to why her friend is no longer there with her.

In my opinion, putting her together with another one of your piggies is the best thing you could have done and maybe putting her with the piggie who has a similar temperament/personality is the best option, it's certainly what I would do. It could be that she is a little scared as in reality, she has a completely new roomie! Just think how we feel around strangers, uncomfortable at first but then we get to know them and become more settled.

I really would just give her/both of them time to get comfortable with eachother and keep an eye on them. Can I ask if they are both still eating and drinking ok?
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Yeah! She’s been eating all the hay in the cage, she normally doesn’t eat this much, and she’s gotten treats today too
 
Lunapxggies said:
Yeah! She’s been eating all the hay in the cage, she normally doesn’t eat this much, and she’s gotten treats today too
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It is good that she is eating well. I wouldn't worry to much about her behavior at the moment. Just keep an eye on her over next couple of days, I'm sure she will improve and come out of her shell.
 
Did the agitation and hiding away start when her cage mate passed away or did it start when you introduced her to the other piggies?

Is she moving about at all?

When a piggy loses their cage mate, the more common occurrence is that while they certainly will grieve, they will still go about their business, will continue to eat etc. It can take a varying about of time for them to adjust to the loss of their friend but they usually do fine with a couple of weeks on their own (but living alongside other piggies in a separate cage if that is possible), and then finding the right new friend.
It’s rare but some piggies can go into acute pining, get depressed, stop eating, lose weight and (after illness has been ruled out) require a new friend much sooner and more urgently to help with the companionship.

It may be that she is overwhelmed by the loss of a friend and going through a bonding straight away but a vet check is definitely a good idea.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Did the agitation and hiding away start when her cage mate passed away or did it start when you introduced her to the other piggies?

Is she moving about at all?

When a piggy loses their cage mate, the more common occurrence is that while they certainly will grieve, they will still go about their business, will continue to eat etc. It can take a varying about of time for them to adjust to the loss of their friend but they usually do fine with a couple of weeks on their own (but living alongside other piggies in a separate cage if that is possible), and then finding the right new friend.
It’s rare but some piggies can go into acute pining, get depressed, stop eating, lose weight and (after illness has been ruled out) require a new friend much sooner and more urgently to help with the companionship.

It may be that she is overwhelmed by the loss of a friend and going through a bonding straight away but a vet check is definitely a good idea.
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She is definitely still eating and drinking i can see her drinking and eating. She does move out of the spot but only to eat and drink. And the agitation started a bit before her cage mate passed (she would teeth chatter at pumpkin a bit before she passed which i’ve never seen her do)

The hiding away in the corner started after i tried to introduce her to the other pigs unfortunately
 
Lunapxggies said:
She is definitely still eating and drinking i can see her drinking and eating. She does move out of the spot but only to eat and drink. And the agitation started a bit before her cage mate passed (she would teeth chatter at pumpkin a bit before she passed which i’ve never seen her do)

The hiding away in the corner started after i tried to introduce her to the other pigs unfortunately
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Its good she is eating but make sure you keep up with weight checks though. Weight checks should be done every week throughout life but switching to daily checks if you have any concerns. The weight checks are they only way to make sure they are eating enough hay, as hay intake cannot be judged by eye.
Make sure to keep pellets are just one tablespoon per pig per day, and not allow constant access to them. It’s always difficult to tell from a picture, but there looks to be rather too many pellets in the bowl in the picture.

The behaviour before her cagemate passed sounds to be normal. Piggies are very aware that their friends are unwell and that can change things between them in some cases.

Its possible she has been through a lot in a short space of time and is feeling overwhelmed.
The new bonding in itself is stressful for them and they will now be in a two week period of re establishing a new relationship. Provided the new bond is a functioning one and acceptance properly occurred in a neutral territory first.
I would cover half the cage with a blanket or sheet to make her feel more secure as that can help them settle.
 
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